Dwindling petroleum reserves and deterioration in air quality caused by automotive emissions have resulted in massive efforts to improve internal combustion engine performance. The basic problem is that the internal combustion engine is inherently inefficient. Only a small fraction of the fuel that it burns is actually converted into useful power. The remainder is dissipated in the form of heat or vibration, or consumed in overcoming friction between the engine's many moving parts. Some of the fuel that enters the combustion chamber is not completely burned, and passes out the tailpipe as hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), and other combustion byproducts, many of which are major components of air pollution or “smog”. In view of the millions of automobiles and other fuel-powered vehicles and engines operating in the world, it is evident that even a miniscule improvement in engine efficiency could result in substantial savings of petroleum and significant reductions in air pollution.
There is therefore a need for improved engine performance. Ideally such improvement could be achieved by using a specific fuel composition or adding a specific additive or combination of additives to a fuel composition, and then supplying the fuel composition to an engine. Such an approach would be attractive as it would avoid the need for costly equipment modifications often needed to improve engine performance.